Gamma glutamyl transferase ‘To be or not to be’ a liver function test?

Background: Approximately 400 million people are infected with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) around the world, which makes it one of the world’s major infectious diseases. The prevalence of HBV genotypes and predictive factors for risk are poorly known in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of HBV genotypes, its correlation with demographic factor sand impacts on hepatic biomarkers. Materials and Methods: Venous blood samples were collected from 82 HBV positive patients (48 males, 34 females). The extraction of HBV DNA, PCR amplification, and genotyping were done to classify different genotypes (A, A/D, B, B/D, C, D, D/E, E). HBV genotypes association with gender, nationality, mode of transmission, and liver cirrhosis complication was determined by descriptive statistic and univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA). For liver function test, unpaired t-test and ANOVA were performed. Results: The predominant genotype among patients under study was genotype D (61%), followed by genotype A (10%), and lowest frequency was found for undetermined genotype (1%). In general, there was no significant association between the different genotypes and some demographical factors, serological investigations, and liver function test. The prevalence of HBV genotypes was higher in male patients as compared to female patients and higher in non-Bahraini than in Bahraini. Patients with the dominant genotype D showed higher than the normal maximum range for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (mean = 45.89) and Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (mean = 63.36). Conclusions: The most common HBV genotype in Bahrain was genotype D, followed by genotype A. Further studies involving the sources of transmission and impact of hepatic biomarker in Bahrain are required to enhance the control measures of HBV infections.

Download Full-text

Biomarkers to Assess Liver Function in Various Types of Liver Diseases

International Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Research ◽

10.31878/ijcbr.2019.52.06 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 28-31

Author(s):

Pradeep G ◽

Vikram B ◽

Sharma DVHS

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Liver Function ◽

Obstructive Jaundice ◽

Viral Hepatitis ◽

Liver Function Test ◽

Alcoholic Liver Disease ◽

Liver Diseases ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Function Test ◽

Glutamyl Transferase

Background: It is estimated that liver diseases are among the top ten killer diseases in India, causing deaths every year. Besides, there are those who suffered from chronic liver problems needing recurrent hospitalization and prolonged medical attention, which leaves them physically, mentally, emotionally and financially devastated. Methodology: The study included (n=80) various liver disease patients admitted to the General Medicine department and controls (n=20) subjects were having normal health within the age group of 30-55 years. Serum levels of bilirubin, Aspartate Transaminase, Alanine Amino Transferase, Alkaline Phosphatase and Gamma Glutamyl Transferase parameters were studied among the subjects suffering from cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, viral hepatitis, obstructive jaundice type of liver diseases. Result: The results of this study showed that the increase in serum levels of Bilirubin, AST, ALT, ALP and GGT in various types of liver diseases i.e Obstructive jaundice, Cirrhosis of the liver, Viral hepatitis, Alcoholic Liver disease when compared with controls. Conclusion: Biochemistry laboratory investigations i.e. Liver Function Test (LFT) are a simple, easy measure of tools which can early diagnose the various types of liver diseases. Keywords: Liver diseases; Liver Bio-markers; Liver Function Test.

Download Full-text

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY OF THE LIVER FUNCTION TEST WITHIN POST-TRANSPLANT PATIENTS

EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL MEDICINE GEORGIA ◽

10.52340/jecm.2021.556 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

MERAB NAKASHIDZE ◽

ZURAB CHIKHLADZE ◽

DAVID KOBULADZE ◽

DAVID BERIDZE

Keyword(s):

Liver Function ◽

Venous Blood ◽

Gamma Glutamyl Transferase ◽

Post Transplant ◽

Proper Management ◽

Transplant Patients ◽

Function Test ◽

Successful Transplantation ◽

Glutamyl Transferase ◽

Complicated Patient

In recent years, the survival rate of patients after liver transplantation (LT) has improved significantly. However, successful transplantation is directly related to the proper management of the patient after surgery, including considering essential aspects based on the results of laboratory tests. Therefore, it is essential to study the laboratory characteristics to investigate the functional state of the liver. In the present study, we investigated the indicators of liver function in postoperative patients: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin, total bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). Venous blood samples were used for investigation. A total of 10 post-transplant patients were studied. Appropriate research methods were used. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Overall, our results have shown that intensive examinations of the liver panel in postoperative patients significantly contribute to the proper management of the complicated patient, which directly impacts the final results. Notably, the variability of GGT and ALP may be directly related to the transplanted chronic immune response of the liver and may be used as an early marker for the diagnosis of biliary complications.

Download Full-text

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and the Liver: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-37723/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Praveen Kumar-M ◽

Shubhra Mishra ◽

Daya Krishna Jha ◽

Jayendra Shukla ◽

Arup Choudhury ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Liver Function ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Random Effect ◽

Gamma Glutamyl Transferase ◽

Gamma Glutamyl ◽

Inverse Variance ◽

Pooled Prevalence ◽

Glutamyl Transferase

Abstract Background: Liver function derangements have been reported in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) but reported rates are variable. Methods: We searched Pubmed and Embase with terms COVID and SARS-COV-2 from December 1, 2019 till April 5, 2020. We estimated overall prevalence, stratified prevalence based on severity, estimated risk ratio (RR) and estimated standardized mean difference (SMD) of liver function parameters in severe as compared to nonsevere COVID. Random effect method utilizing inverse variance approach was used for pooling the data. Results: In all, 128 studies were included. The most frequent abnormalities were hypoalbuminemia [61.27% (48.24 - 72.87)], elevations of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) [27.94%(18.22 -40.27)], alanine aminotransferase (ALT) [23.28%(19.92 - 27.01)] and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) [23.41%(18.84 - 28.70)]. Further the relative risk of these abnormalities was higher in the patients with severe COVID-19 when compared to non-severe disease [Hypoalbuminemia - 2.65(1.38 - 5.07); GGT - 2.31(1.6 - 3.33); ALT - 1.76(1.44 - 2.15); AST 2.30(1.82 - 2.90)]. The SMD of hypoalbuminemia, GGT, ALT and AST elevation in severe as compared to nonsevere were -1.05(-1.27 - -0.83), 0.76(0.40 - 1.12), 0.42(0.27 - 0.56) and 0.69 (0.52 - 0.86) respectively. The pooled prevalence and RR of chronic liver disease as a comorbidity was 2.64% (1.73- 4) and 1.69(1.05-2.73) respectively. Conclusion: The most frequent abnormality in liver functions was hypoalbuminemia followed by derangements in gamma-glutamyl transferase and aminotransferases and these abnormalities were more frequent in severe disease. The systematic review was, however, limited by heterogeneity in definitions of severity and liver function derangements.

Download Full-text